AgustaWestland Names Three Key Suppliers For AW609 Civil Tiltrotor
Farnborough Air Show »
July 12, 2012
by
Chad Trautvetter
July 11, 2012, 6:05 PM
AgustaWestland signed three key supplier agreements for its
AW609 civil tiltrotor program here at Farnborough yesterday, with Pratt & Whitney Canada, Rockwell Collins and BAE Systems. These major agreements follow a trail of contracts signed with AW609 component suppliers since AgustaWestland acquired the tiltrotor program last November. FAA and EASA certification of the AW609 is projected to occur in the first half of 2016.
Under its agreement, Pratt & Whitney Canada will provide the PT6C-67A, a new turboshaft derivative of the venerable PT6A with increased performance capabilities, which is slated for certification in the 2014 to 2015 time frame. While -67A engines have been flying on the AW609 prototypes for the past 10 years, the certified powerplant will incorporate several upgrades, among them being core design changes that will increase efficiency, P&WC vice president of engineering Walter Di Bartolomeo told AIN. He added that the turboshafts are also specially designed for “rotating vertical operations,” meaning they can withstand the AW609’s transitions between vertical and airplane modes.
Rockwell Collins will supply integrated avionics for the AW609 based on its touchscreen Pro Line Fusion embedded display system (EDS). Fusion EDS is a scaled-down version of Fusion for turboprops and light jets, with the processing hardware and software integrated into the “smart” touchscreen displays instead of in a cabinet-based architecture like it is for larger jets.
The new avionics system, announced last October, offers touchscreen control on the 14-inch primary flight displays, head-up guidance system capable of displaying synthetic-vision imagery, “autonomous backup flight control modes, MultiScan weather threat detection and full integration with Ascend flight information solutions,” according to Rockwell Collins.
With Fusion EDS, the
AW609 will be capable of single-pilot operations under instrument flight rules conditions, a Rockwell Collins spokesman told AIN. The new cockpit will be installed on the fourth airframe, which is scheduled to fly in 2014. Certification of Fusion EDS is planned for late 2013.
Finally, BAE Systems will provide an upgraded flight control computer for the AW609’s triple-redundant fully digital fly-by-wire flight control system. The computer, which is expected to receive TSO certification in 2014, will include the AgustaWestland control laws and flight-control software, as well as the Fadec digital engine control system.
According to AgustaWestland, the vendor base for the civil tiltrotor is being renewed, “providing opportunities for cost-reduction initiatives, upgrades and improvements.” In line with this, the company is holding a presentation to key suppliers tomorrow at its Cascina Costa, Italy facility, which will include an update on the certification program. A single integrated development team in Cascina Costa is managing the AW609 program, but much of the flight testing for the tiltrotor prototypes will take place at its Arlington, Texas subsidiary.